Spider-Man is one of the most enduring and recognizable faces in the Marvel Comics Universe thanks to the long-running comic series, not to mention various television and big-screen incarnations. Such a recognizable superhero is a licensing dream for most videogame companies. How Activision managed to latch on to it (as well as the X-Men license for the recently released Mutant Academy) rather than the licensing factories at THQ and Acclaim boggles the mind.  But they did, handing over the duties of creating the game to the talented folks at Neversoft - setting the stage for a top-notch game.

Did they succeed? Well, just like in the comics, there are always a few plot twists, but the good guys usually tend to come out on top. Right from the beginning, Spider-Man exudes the perfect comic book atmosphere - the startup screen opens to a remixed version of the classic Spider-Man theme song. The mission cut scenes are narrated by the always enthusiastic Marvel legend Stan Lee and the game starts off with an early glimpse of one of Spidey's biggest villains, a reformed Dr. Octopus.

Thanks to the use of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater engine, Spider-Man has been pulled from the confines of typical superhero games.  He's no longer trapped in a left-to-right, side-scrolling world and can go almost anywhere you want him to go.  Controlling the webslinger is fairly simple, with easy-to-learn controls covering all the important moves you'd expect from him, from swinging on webs to zipping to the ceiling.  But while the controls are quite responsive, Spidey seems to move a little sluggishly for such an agile hero.

The game's greatest strength is its level design, or more accurately, what the levels require of gamers who are playing Spidey's role. A typical development team might turn the Spider-Man license into a slightly modified beat-em-up. Luckily Neversoft has gone the distance with their take on Spidey. Some of the game's levels challenge you to swing your way through them as quickly as possible, with little or no combat. Others give you the opportunity to sneak through, quietly knocking out baddies one by one, and of course there's a fair share of levels which are mainly about fisticuffs thrown in for good measure.

Levels follow a fairly typical format, with multiple "stages" usually followed by a boss character of some sort.  Most are excellent, although there are a few that are less than stellar.  In particular, some levels have puzzle elements that they could have lived without and that generally seem extraneous.  If you're not an adventure gamer, don't worry - Neversoft hasn't made the Spider-Man edition of Tomb Raider. 

Where the game really shines, though, is in the boss challenges. You can't really clobber your way through these opponents, who tend to be bigger and stronger than you (not to mention having more health than you do). So you've got to figure out how to use your spider-skills to knock them out of commission, often while they cause all sorts of other problems that you have to be wary of while fighting them. I found one of the bosses to be extremely annoying but, overall, they're very well designed and true to character.  If there was one annoying boss, Neversoft more than made up for it with one of the most intense and exciting final bosses in a videogame.

Like Tony Hawk, Spider-Man really makes PlayStation look good.  These are some of the system's best 3D graphics, making the grade with both good designs and a smooth framerate. Two camera problems, though, hurt the game. The first issue is a problem with slow and sometimes unpredictable camera rotation.  Often you will need to turn Spidey and pause for a moment if you want the camera to track behind him.  It's a problem that rarely causes trouble during combat, but it can often be confusing or aggravating.  The second problem is more annoying - in a number of situations, the game gives you an absolutely useless perspective of the action. Usually, scenery directly behind Spidey becomes translucent so you can see what's going on.  In a few places, it simply doesn't. In a couple of other tight areas, you can't clearly see where you need to go - something that can occasionally be fatal.  Such situations are rare, though, and once you're aware of them, you'll be able to work around the trouble spots.

Aurally, the sound effects are all good, although the nostalgia in me would love to hear the old web-slinging sounds of the original Spider-Man cartoon. The voice acting is a lot better than average. The music, on the other hand, is nothing to go crazy for, but it's good enough. 

Overall, Spider-Man is an excellent game, despite a little tarnish here and there.  It should be noted that most of the issues the game has are the result of Neversoft pushing the envelope and not settling for a typical licensed game - they're all forgivable.  The game features a good selection of super villains from the Spider-Man stable, including some classic foes and a few more contemporary bad guys.  It also features cameo appearances from some other Marvel heroes.  Extra goals, like finding hidden items and unlocking alternate costumes from Spider-Man history help this otherwise short game last a bit longer, as do some fairly entertaining training modes.  Also appreciated is a level select mode so you don't have to work your way through the entire game again just to relive that excellent final boss.  Everyone with a PlayStation should at least give Spider-Man a try - it's quite possibly the best superhero game to date.

A few levels and training modes, not to mention the hidden items scattered through the game should keep you coming back for a while, but the game is a bit on the short side. After a couple of complete plays through, you may find yourself returning only for your favorite levels.